7 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE UK Championship Tournament (Night 1)

1. Those Cruiserweight Classic Comparisons

As WWE's first major production of this ilk, the Cruiserweight Classic is always going to be held as the benchmark against which all other Network tournaments are compared. The CWC was one of the most exciting things about WWE last year, and one of the summer's biggest talking points. It presented the WWE product as a "real sport" for the first time in years, and it practically guaranteed a handful of fast, exciting, memorable matches every single week.

Last night ticked many of the same boxes. The presentation was just as sleek and professional as the CWC, the talent pool was diverse, and the tournament felt genuinely competitive. On the other hand, the UK Tournament's first night couldn't hold a candle to the CWC between the ropes, and anyone expecting blow-away matches was left disappointment.

Aside from the main event, last night's card had no matches that anyone will be talking about in a couple of months. The action was fine and there was enough solid character work to prevent anything from being outright "bad," but there was nothing particularly riveting either, and much of the night's enjoyment came from individual performances rather than thrilling match-ups.

A tournament's first round doesn't necessarily need to produce a bunch of Match of the Year candidates, and the wrestlers were obviously hampered by the time restrictions. Still, it's hard not to feel a little let down by the all-round match quality, particularly given the talent level.